PEORIA — The Rockford Lutheran Crusaders’ long-range, sharp-shooters came out firing in Tuesday’s supersectional victory, draining 6 of their first 7 shots from 3-point distance, and finishing with almost as many 3s (12) as 2-point field goals (13).

The Crusaders may have to be just as hot today to find a way to get past Lincoln in the 12:15 p.m. state semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A boys basketball tournament. If they do, this year’s Crusaders will go down in the school’s history books as the best.

“We know how to find the hot hand,” said junior guard Joe Kellen, who had a career-high seven 3s and 31 points in Tuesday’s 71-60 win over Peoria Notre Dame. “And we know how big these last few games are.”

Fourth-year head coach Tom Guse knows this will be the biggest obstacle blocking the school’s first state title in basketball. Lincoln (33-2) is ranked first No. 1 in the state in Class 3A, and has won 19 games in a row. Lincoln’s stingy defense has allowed its five postseason opponents just 34.6 points per game and has allowed 50 points or more only six times all season.

“And they’re good on both ends of the floor,” added Lutheran’s leading scorer and rebounder, Thomas Kopelman (22.9 points and 8.4 rebounds). “But, so are we.”

The Railsplitters use a 1-2-2 press and extend it full court throughout the game. And while they get a lot of their points in the paint, they also have a wealth of shooters who can hit the 3s.

“They remind me of us in that they share the ball very well, and they have five guys on the floor who can make a 3 from anywhere, at all times,” said Guse, whose Crusaders are ranked No. 8. “We’re going to have to will ourselves into playing this one at our pace. We have to make sure we’re getting up and down that floor, whenever we can.”

Gavin Block, a 6-foot-6 junior center, leads the Railsplitters with 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. But Edward Bolby (11.2 points) has turned it up of late, leading the team in scoring in four of its last eight games, including 19 of its 40 points in Lincoln’s 3-point win over Cahokia in the supersectionals on Tuesday.

And while Lutheran (30-3) comes into the game as a heralded 3-point shooting team — the Crusaders have 294 this season, fourth-most all-time in the state of Illinois — Lincoln is almost as good. The Railsplitters have made 290, shooting at a 38.1-percent rate.

“We’ve got a bunch of kids that can shoot it, that much we’ve learned,” Lincoln’s 23rd-year head coach Neil Alexander said. “But, with these guys from Rockford, we’ve got our hands full. I don’t know what we’re going to do to stop them. Lutheran is very skilled and very aggressive. It’s going to be a great match-up.”